"Mr. Roosevelt, you've been very busy lately." Mahan quipped.

"Aren't you the same? I heard that you have just concluded a discussion with General Magiffen on the future direction of the Navy. Can you tell me the result? Theodore Roosevelt said as he poured a cup of coffee.

"There was no result, not so much a disagreement between me and him, but a disagreement between General Magifin and the rest of the Admiralty. Admiral Majiffen still wanted to restore the large fleet, which was dominated by battleships, while some people, like the French or Russians, built battle cruisers to form a fleet dominated by the enemy's sea communications. Mahan shook his head helplessly and said.

"Then you are supporting General Majifen? I also agree to build a fleet based on a decisive battle of the fleet, and the fleet of the United States of America cannot be just a guerrilla fleet, and the war of 1812 has taught us that even if our cruisers are excellent, even if we gain more victories at sea, ships similar to cruisers will be destroyed by the main fleet of the other side in the middle of a grand battle. Theodore Roosevelt said excitedly, and only after half a sound did he realize that he was no longer in charge of the Navy of the United States of America, and that he was now just a rich man with the infamy of defeat.

"Yes, we cannot allow the United States of America to finally degenerate into the French navy of the past, with a mighty fleet but not daring to fight a decisive battle. If a navy does not have the courage to fight a decisive battle with the opposing side, then he will never succeed. Mahan said categorically.

"Let's be happy that President McKinley has persuaded Parliament to start construction of three dreadnoughts next year. Two of them will be dreadnought battleships, while the other will be dreadnought battlecruisers. And in addition to these three warships, the Russians and the Dutch also have the intention of buying new warships of our country. We can use this to gain experience and share part of the cost. Roosevelt said with a smile.

"Share the cost? This may not be easy, right, the Russians have just lost the war and are poor, and the Dutch? Don't expect to squeeze out much oil and water, either. Mahan shook his head and said disapprovingly.

"It's not something we can worry about, the big conglomerates in New York have the money to finance the Netherlands or Russia." Roosevelt paused and continued.

"Is this the result of your lobbying? In this case, it is tantamount to directly pushing the United States to the opposite side of China. From then on, the Pacific Ocean will not be peaceful. Mahan asked.

"The future fate of the Pacific depends on two countries, one is China and the other is the United States of America. There is a saying in China that one mountain cannot tolerate two tigers. Although the Pacific Ocean is vast, it cannot accommodate two large countries. Roosevelt's answer was very crisp. Although it is not yet time for a showdown, we need to prepare early. ”

"Showdown? What is your so-called showdown? Second Sino-Russian War? Do not tie yourself to the tanks of the Russians. Russia and the Netherlands will not be victorious! The waters of East and Southeast Asia in the future will be the backyard of the Chinese Navy. Mahan warned sternly.

"No, it's not, the timing of this showdown is uncertain, maybe after the Sino-Russian war. Maybe more distant in the future. But it will definitely not be the period of the Sino-Russian War. This is tantamount to a direct confrontation with the British, and I'm not that stupid. Both sides are great powers, and it is impossible to completely suppress the opponent. My request is simple. As he spoke, Roosevelt took out a pencil and scribbled it on the map of the world that hung on the wall.

"The strategic territory of the United States of America should reach Guam and the Dutch East Indies, and Honolulu should be the backbone of the United States' maritime power in the Pacific. But now, we can't even get hold of Honolulu, and if I were the president of the United States, I would intervene as a mediator in the negotiations between the two sides after the end of the Sino-Russian war. Curb the expansion of China. If the Chinese Navy suffers great losses in the Sino-Russian War, I will order the United States fleet to immediately go to Honolulu. Philippines Forward! By the way, and Cuba! Theodore Roosevelt said coldly.

"Cuba is the United States after all, but the Philippines and Honolulu are not, and Mr. Xu and his fleet on the other side of the ocean will not give in so easily. I don't know if you found it. The expansion of the Huaxia Fleet this time has actually laid a considerable margin! Mahan cupped his eyes and said.

"What do you mean?" Theodore Roosevelt's heart was cold, and he hurriedly asked. Roosevelt was a very good strategist and a very good politician, if it were not for Xu Jie's reason, according to history, Roosevelt laid the foundation of the American Grand Fleet, and in 1898 it took less than 100 days to include Cuba and the Philippines, and Honolulu became the fiftieth continent of the United States. The reason why the United States can dominate the world is that Theodore Roosevelt has made great contributions! But Theodore did not know much about the navy, and he was vague about the strength of the fleet, and in this regard, he was far less sensitive than Mahan.

"Judging from the current situation, the Huaxia Navy has ordered a total of 7 capital ships in Britain, Germany and Italy, and it is likely to build one on its own in China." Mahan said as he drew something on the paper. In this way, the Huaxia Navy has 8 dreadnought-class warships, of which 4 dreadnought-class battleships can go to the battle line for decisive battles. And the two German-made battlecruisers can also go to the battleship for a decisive battle when necessary, plus 3 Ninghai-class quasi-dreadnoughts, then the Huaxia Navy has 9 capital ships, and such a powerful force is something that the Russians cannot catch up with at all. ”

"The navy is not the more the better, but the best enough, and the Chinese navy is already quite powerful, their purpose is no longer as simple as dealing with the Russians and the Dutch, after the war of the Russians, the entire East and Southeast Asia, and even the entire western Pacific will tremble under the guns of the Chinese fleet." Mahan said solemnly.

"The British will not allow China to act recklessly, and by doing so, China has broken the original geopolitical pattern and directly threatened Malaya, Burma, and even India under British control. This will lead to a direct confrontation between China and the United Kingdom, Xu Jie will not be so stupid and challenge the world's strongest navy by himself! You must know that the current British naval strength is stronger than the first and second in the world combined! Roosevelt vetoed flatly.

"If you only focus on East Asia and Southeast Asia, that's true, but, Theodore, we need to spread our vision to any corner of the world, although I don't know as much about politics as you do, but I still have some appropriate trade-offs for national strategy, are you interested in hearing about it?" Mahan said with a slight smile.

"Listen up." Roosevelt nodded as he refilled his cup of coffee.

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